One of the first steps that are mentioned for any effective marketing plan is figuring out your target audience; the people you want to deliver your message to.

On the face of it, that seems like a very simple thing to do. But it turns out that when you try to put it into practice it becomes a bit more challenging.

Different people learn in different ways. But I personally like to see examples. And I know that there are other people that feel the same way.

When you see examples of things being put into practice, its easier to visualize what you have to do yourself. So today I compiled three examples of marketing directly to a target audience through TV ads.

Target Audience Example #1: Duluth Jeans

First, the ad:

Let me begin by saying that I absolutely loved this ad. It spoke to me. I instantly pictured myself crouching in my jeans…and it instantly made me want to by a pair of Duluth’s even though I don’t do much (or no) crouching.

Clearly the target audience is men.

Even more precisely, the target audience is men that likely do a lot of physical labor that requires flexibility in movement. These are people like plumbers, construction workers, etc. In fact, Duluth has another ad featuring a stereotypical plumber.

Everything about this ad screams “for men”; from the implied message to the voice-over. Even the name, Duluth’s Trading, seems manly.

In fact, if you search for “Men’s Workwear” Duluth’s comes up first on Google.

They definitely have their target audience figured out. And they are speaking directly to them.

Target Audience Example #2: belVita Breakfast

Here is a belVita ad:

This is another ad that I could relate to. And I’m sure anyone that loves to golf can too.

Is there any sport less forgiving than golf (not taking into account boxing, for example, where you get your face pummeled).

Anyone that likes to get out onto the course for a round of 18 can relate to the guy in the commercial, even though he’s a bit of a caricature. Most golfers I know are very self-critical of their game.

They are either terrible at it or think they are. And at the very least, most can remember back to when they picked up their first golf club. It likely looked like something out of this commercial.

My first round ever I drove the green on the 2nd hole, a par 4. I thought the game was a cinch. Nine putts later I changed my mind.

But what’s really important is the stomach growling that inevitably ensues when you play a full round of golf. And this ad addresses that beautifully. Eat belVita and you will have enough energy to hack away all day along.

Target Audience Example #3: Christian Mingle

Here is a Christian Mingle ad:

I’m not really sure where to get started with this one. The tagline of the website, ”Find God’s Match for You,” makes me laugh. Am I the only that thinks this is ridiculous? I wish I could say I though this was tongue-in-cheek, but I don’t think so.

How did people meet “God’s match for them” before the internet?

In any case, I can appreciate the brazen marketing of the dating site. This is definitely an example of knowing your target audience and speaking directly to them.

This is also a great example of entering a crowded niche (dating sites) and carving out a section of the niche as your own with some targeted messaging.

Go Ahead…Be Ridiculous

As it turns out, when you know exactly who you’re talking to you can say things that might turn other people off. But those other people aren’t your ideal clients.

Your job isn’t to make everyone happy. It’s to make your target audience happy. And you do that by providing messaging they can relate to.

Hopefully that makes the whole target audience thing a bit more clear. If you found these examples helpful, share this post using your favorite social media channel. I’ve provided you with some buttons for easy access over to the left.

In the meantime, I’m off to go get a snack…belVita anyone?